It's hard to believe today is the day after Thanksgiving! I hope you and your family had a wonderful holiday replete with delicious food, big smiles, and countless laughs. Now that Turkey Day is behind us, it can only mean a couple of things. For one, we can expect a myriad of families to put up their holiday decorations today. Secondly, there's no denying that, arguably until after New Year's, retailers from Macy's to Victoria's Secret will be barraging us with holiday ads, whether on TV, in the newspaper, or online. It's really a shame that the holidays have become so highly commercialized. My coworkers and I were fretting the other day over the fact that many stores now sell Thanksgiving and Christmas stuff alongside their Halloween items. That means you can stock up on Christmas decorations as early as October. While doing so may save one money in the long run, coupling all three occasions does little to build anticipation for the latter holidays...

Just when you thought most major retailers planned to close up shop on Thanksgiving, Macy's said "not so fast." Not only does the department store plan to open on turkey day, it is looking to do so an hour earlier. Several stores have prioritized their employees' desire to spend time with their families on Thanksgiving over making a quick buck, including IKEA, Crate and Barrel, Dillard's, Home Depot, Lowe's, Marshall's, Sam's Club, and Publix. Unfortunately, Macy's has yet to jump on the bandwagon, doing anything it can to reverse six consecutive quarters of revenue declines. While some consumers are sure to rejoice at the prospect of snagging big bargains on Thanksgiving Day, others fret at the company's seeming indifference toward affording employees the opportunity to spend more time with loved ones. What companies don't recognize is that forcing these people to work through the holiday results in low morale and, in many cases, a...